AUSTRALIA
The Bulletin
Lisa Benoit
AFTER hearing the heartache of child sex abuse victims from Neerkol Orphanage, Catholic Church leaders in the Rockhampton Diocese have taken steps to ensure nothing like this ever happens again.
In April, the Royal Commission held a public hearing into child sex abuse in Rockhampton, where Neerkol victims shared their horror stories from more than three decades of abuse at the hands of priests and sisters at the Central Queensland orphanage.
Allegations of abuse at the orphanage first came to light in the 1990s.
The Catholic Church has now appointed a response co-ordinator for the Rockhampton Diocese, to respond to allegations and complaints of abuse against church personnel.
Melissa Davey has been appointed as the co-ordinator and will work closely with Rockhampton Bishop Michael McCarthy.
Training programs, structures and policies to ensure parishes are safe and secure environments have been put in place.
Bishop McCarthy, who attended the Royal Commission, said he was committed to ensuring the mistakes of the past were not repeated.
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